Code Blue 4
by Furious Writer 091
Summary: When Kōsaku Aizawa opened the door of the apartment he had rented to live in during his stay in Toronto he was surprised when he saw who was standing outside. Megumi Shiraishi wasn't supposed to be there, she was supposed to be in Japan. When she had last spoken to him she had not mentioned anything about going to Canada for a visit...
1. Chapter 1

So here is the first chapter of the long Code Blue fanfic I told you, I would write. There is also a sequel fanfiction to my first One-shot but those won't be in the same continuity as this story and its possible sequels, those will have their own continuity. Please give this one love and tell me what you think about it so I can improve.

Disclaimer: I don't own Code Blue, all the rights belong to their legitimate owners

**CODE BLUE 4**

When Kōsaku Aizawa opened the door of the apartment he had rented to live in during his stay in Toronto, he was surprised when he saw who was standing outside. Megumi Shiraishi wasn't supposed to be there, she was supposed to be in Japan. When she had last spoken to him she had not mentioned anything about going to Canada for a visit.

"Shiraishi" he said, his confusion clear on the tone of his voice. "What are you doing here?" He asked.

"I'm not quite sure" she replied, her voice sounding a little bit nervous. "It just happened." Kōsaku looked at her for a few seconds without saying anything. "Does my visit bother you? Sorry I should have called." She said breaking the silence. She looked embarrassed.

"No, you don't bother me at all. Although you are right. You should have called, I've just returned from working the night shift at the hospital" Kōsaku replied. "Come in" he added opening his apartment's door wide and moving towards the kitchen.

"Thanks" she said as she followed and closed the door. "So how are things going in the hospital?"

"Not bad. Like I told you last week everything is going well. I'm a bit sad I've only three months left." He said pouring himself a cup of coffee and offering her another which she accepted gratefully. "But I'm also looking forward to working at Shohoku again."

"I see…" Megumi said. "Wait… You are coming back! Didn't one of the doctors offer you the chance to go with him and work in a hospital in New York?"

"He did, but after giving it some thought I decided against it." He replied.

"Huh? When!?" Megumi asked her tone of voice a little higher than usual due to her being surprised at this new info.

"A couple of days ago" Kōsaku replied in his usual calm voice.

"But didn't you say you had decided to accept it?" She asked her expression telling him he was trying to put some of her thoughts together.

"I did?" Now he was the one surprised. "I don't think I told you anything like that when we last spoke."

"Yeah, you told you'd think about it but when you talked with Fujikawa you told him you were going to accept." Megumi said explaining who she'd gotten the info from.

"I haven't spoken with Fujikawa since last month. I didn't tell him about the offer" He said.

"You haven't?" She said her eyes widening as she had all the info she needed to finally connect the dots.

"Wait." Kōsaku said as he connected them as well. "Did you come here because you thought I wouldn't be returning to Japan?" He asked feeling happy at the thought.

"No" she said, chuckling nervously and growing redder by the second. She was obviously lying.

"So why did you come here?" He asked. "And please don't say that it just happened. No one goes out for a walk and accidentally takes a plane."

"Well, you've been telling me how beautiful Toronto is. So I decided to come." She gave out another weak excuse. "I didn't tell you anything because I wanted to surprise you."

"I see" Kōsaku said but before he could say anything else his smartphone began ringing after checking the caller's ID he answered it "What?" He said not bothering to be polite to the caller who'd interrupted his conversation with Megumi. "Yes Aragaki, I haven't forgotten. You told me a hundred times yesterday and I recall perfectly telling you I would go." The caller replied something and Aizawa nodded while replying. "Yeah 1 pm. Got it." He confirmed. He then looked at Megumi who was looking at him questioningly. "By the way do you mind if I invite someone to join us?" He asked and when the caller asked who he was inviting he replied. "A friend from Japan" the caller replied positively and Kōsaku showed Megumi one of his rare smiles. "Thanks, we'll see you there." He said ending the call.

"Who was that?" Megumi asked curiously after he put the smartphone in his back pocket.

"Keisuke Aragaki. A friend from the hospital" he replied. "I think I've talked about him a couple of times over the phone."

Megumi nodded. The surname had sounded familiar, and she recalled now that Kōsaku had mentioned him a few times over the phone. He was a japanese doctor, a cardiac surgeon who lived together with his children. "And what exactly have you forced me to invite him to?" She asked him.

"His daughter's first birthday." Kōsaku replied.

"Aizawa! I can't go to something like that! You go, we can meet another day." Megumi said.

"Don't worry, he was thrilled when I asked him if I could bring someone with me. It was going to be him, his two children and me." He said. "Besides, I already told him that we'll be there."

Megumi was speechless. She wasn't expecting him to include her in his plans for the day. She had come to see him out of the blue, she had been expecting him to be a little mad. However, she knew that this gave her the chance to escape his interrogation for a while. He hadn't bought her excuses she has given him so far to explain why she was there. So she finally nodded. "Ok I'll go but I did want to do some tourism today."

"No problem, I'll show you around a bit before we go. I will need to take a shower first though."

"No, I'm sure you've had almost no sleep tonight. You better take a nap before you go to lunch. I'll take a walk and check out some interesting spots. I'll meet you at lunch" Megumi said.

Kōsaku looked at her. She had a point. The night shift had been rough and he had slept very little. He would be too tired to show her around properly and too tired to go to lunch or to remain awake through it. Keisuke would certainly forgive him but he would never let him forget it.

"Alright. It's 8 am. Call me around 12:00 and I'll text you Keisuke's direction." He said and Megumi nodded with a small smile before finishing her coffee.

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At 12:30 Kōsaku appeared at the door of his friend's apartment. Keisuke opened the door and although he was a bit surprised, he didn't mind his early arrival. "You are here a little early." He said as he shook his friend's hand and gave him a one armed hug which Kōsaku didn't return as he didn't greet people as effusively as his friend normally did. "I was getting the kids ready. Do you mind giving me a hand?"

Kōsaku shook his head and after handing his friend the doll he had bought for his daughter, he followed him towards the children's bedroom. It didn't take long until an overly excited 3 year old crashed into him and hugged one of his legs.

"Uncle Kōsaku!" the young boy greeted him.

"Hey there Satoshi. I see you've dressed up nicely for your little sister's birthday." He said with a warm smile. "We should do something about that hair."

"Yes please!" Sounded Keisuke's voice from the children's room. "Help him to comb his hair while I finish dressing the birthday girl!"

"Alright!" Kōsaku replied, leading the little boy towards the bathroom. There he faced a mission more difficult than a lot of surgeries he had performed: trying to fix a child's hair and have him stay still for a few seconds so he could do so properly. When they both got out of the bathroom Kōsaku was little more wet than when they'd entered but the mission was accomplished. Meanwhile Keisuke with the birthday girl, Sakura, in his arms waited for them in the living room.

"There's the birthday girl!" Kōsaku said smiling fondly at the girl who laughed happily and clapped a few times when she saw her uncle prompting her father to hand her to him. "Happy birthday little Sakura" Kōsaku said as he kissed her cheek and tickled her belly prompting her to laugh joyfully. Just then the doorbell sounded and Kōsaku gave the baby back to her father.

"That must be Shiraishi" Keisuke said, throwing his friend a knowing smile.

"How did you…" Kōsaku began to ask.

"Know who you've invited to my daughter's birthday party?" Keisuke finished the question before his friend could with a knowing smile. "Well, out of all your friends you've told me about, you would do this kind of thing only for her." He explained before he went to open the door. Once he did, both men found a rather nervous Megumi standing there with a rather big present for Sakura.

"Hello my name is Megumi Shiraishi" She said. "I'm a friend of Aizawa."

"Hello Doctor Shiraishi. I'm Keisuke Aragaki, also a friend of Aizawa. It's very nice to meet you." he said as he shook her hand and took the present with his free arm while Megumi smiled at baby Sakura who seemed to like the new arrival and smiled back at her sweetly.

"This must be the birthday girl" she said cooing at the little girl who laughed and smiled sweetly at the newcomer, clearly liking her from the start.

"Yes, this is baby Sakura" Keisuke replied with a smile as he saw that. "We are very glad you could make it. Please come in." He added letting her into the apartment.

When Megumi entered she smiled at Kōsaku. "Did you sleep well?"

"It was a good nap" he replied with a soft expression.

"Are you my uncle's only friend?" sounded the voice of Satoshi who was eyeing Megumi curiously. At this question Megumi blushed hard, Kōsaku would have done the same if he could and Keisuke just laughed.


	2. Chapter 2

Well, I realized that posting just one chapter wasn't a very strong start for any long fanfic, so here you have the second one. I hope you enjoy it, if you do please follow and fav.

Disclaimer: As I said when I posted the previous chapter, I sadly don't own Code Blue or any of its Characters, except my OCs of course.

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"She is a very good friend of your uncle. Not his only friend." Keisuke finally told his son as he held himself from laughing further noticing Megumi's face couldn't get any more red and Kōsaku was glaring at him. "After all, we are his friends too. Right?"

"Yeah." The child replied happily and grabbed his uncle's hand.

"It's very nice to meet you then" Megumi said kneeling down in front of the child and offering him her hand with a smile. "I hope we can be friends too." She added making the little boy smile excitedly and nod in return releasing Kōsaku 's hand and grabbing hers to drag Megumi inside and give and show her his room.

"I think you got yourself a rival." Keisuke said, patting his friend's back. "Stay with Sakura for a few minutes, I need to check on the food." He added giving him the little girl again and leaving for the kitchen. Alone with the little girl Kōsaku sat down and began to make faces and play with her.

He stopped when he heard a childish laugh. Satoshi and Megumi had returned from wherever it was they went and were staring at him. The child was smiling happily watching his uncle play with his sister and the adult was staring at her friend with an amused smile on her face.

"What is it?" He asked a little bit embarrassed by the situation he was caught in.

"I was just thinking about how you've changed since we met all those years ago." She said. "It was hard to see your true, kind, self back then, even though it showed from time to time. And that I wish you hadn't realized so soon I wanted to make a video and send it to the people back home." She added before letting out a laugh.

Although he normally would be annoyed at people who tried to tease him like that, hearing Megumi laugh brought a small smile to his face. Seeing his expression Megumi blushed a little. None of them spoke and just stared at each other while Satoshi stared at both adults not understanding why the sudden silence. Before he had a chance to break it though, his father entered the room.

"The food is ready" he said and all three people in the living room moved towards the dining table where a succulent roasted chicken was waiting for them.

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After eating lunch, the birthday cake and a little dance number little Satoshi had prepared as a present for his little sister. After that Keisuke took his children to their bedroom to take a nap and returned with coffee for the adults. Taking her cup and thanking him Megumi looked around the room.

"I've gotta say you've got a lovely house Dr. Arakawa" she said.

"Yeah, it's not bad. My ex-wife chose and decorated it." Keisuke replied. " I wasn't a fan of neither the apartment nor the decoration at first. But now I'm a bit sad that we have to leave it, even though I know the change will be good for us." He added in a voice.

"You are moving?" Megumi asked.

"Yes, I'm moving back to Japan as soon as I find a job there" the cardiac surgeon replied. "Kōsaku has actually been helping me."

"Really?" Megumi asked.

"You told me the heart surgery department back at Sohoku was hiring so I put him in contact with them. He's apparently passed 2 of the interviews. I doubt the final interview will be a problem.

"I see. Well, I hope you get the job." She told Keisuke and the man smiled.

"I hope so too" Keisuke said. "I've been reading about your hospital and from what I've seen it's one of the best in the area."

"What does your ex-wife think about that?" She asked.

"I haven't really asked her." Keisuke replied, his smile turned a bit forced. "She divorced me and moved to the US around half a year ago. Apparently Los Angeles is far better than Toronto for the plastic surgeon business." Megumi was going to ask something but Kōsaku stopped her with a look. Meanwhile Keisuke continued speaking, his voice growing angrier. "Then again, during the divorce she signed a paper to give up her parental rights so her opinion about the three of us moving out isn't important!" Neither Kōsaku nor Megumi spoke and Keisuke cleared his throat, looking embarrassed at having lost his cool in front of a guest. "I need a moment to go to the bathroom. Please excuse me." He added before getting up from the table.

"Perhaps you should have warned me about the story of him and his ex-wife beforehand" Megumi said. "I feel awful"

"Sorry" Kōsaku apologized. "I should have given you a heads up. I'm sure you could tell by his words but his ex-wife and him didn't end things in a civilized manner. He doesn't like to talk much about her besides informing the eventual guest that the apartment and the decoration were her choices. The divorce is still too recent."

Megumi nodded in understanding but couldn't say anything else as she heard Keisuke opening the bathroom and walking back to the table.

"I'm sorry, I just needed to wash my face" Keisuke said when he returned to the table, the anger completely gone from his voice. "So Dr. Shiraishi. Have you liked what you've seen of Toronto so far?" He asked as if the conversation about his wife hadn't even happened.

"I have, it's a very nice city." Megumi answered with a smile. "I've been wanting to come for a while but I didn't find time until now"

"I have tomorrow free, if you want we can go to the places you wanted to go today but couldn't." Kōsaku said. Megumi looked at him. What he was proposing sounded like a date. The thought made her blush.

"Why the wait?" Keisuke asked with a smirk. "You can take her now"

"Eh?" Kōsaku and Megumi said at the same time, both equally surprised by Keisuke's suggestion.

"As much as I'm enjoying your presence, the party is pretty much over" Keisuke said. "When the kids wake up from their nap, we'll see a movie until dinner. At least part of another one after and then it's bedtime for us."

Kōsaku looked at her "Do you want to?"

"I wouldn't mind. But aren't you tired?" She asked.

"Not too much. The morning nap really helped" he answered.

"Then it's settled" Keisuke said.

"We should really help you clean first" Megumi replied.

Keisuke waved his hand dismissively. "That's not necessary. You are my guests and I'm perfectly capable of cleaning all of this on my own." He said with a smile.

"Then I will use the bathroom before we go." Megumi told Kōsaku as she rose from the chair and left the room. Once she did, Kōsaku looked at his friend.

"What are you doing?" He asked.

"Giving you a push in the right direction" Keisuke said as he finished his cup of coffee. "Everyone knows if you are going to confess to someone, it's better to do so at night. It's more romantic."

"I'm not going to confess my feelings for her" Kōsaku said, although he didn't deny the existence of those feelings. It would be stupid to try to lie to his friend when he himself had to admit it was pretty obvious he had them. "It's not the right time yet."

"Why not?" Keisuke asked. "What are you waiting for?"

"I'll tell her when I return to Japan" Kōsaku replied.

"Why postpone it when you can tell her now?" Keisuke asked. "Do you have a reason why you don't want to tell her now?"

"I…" Kōsaku began but stopped when he heard Megumi's steps coming back from the bathroom.

"I'm ready to go" she said, rejoining the other two. Seeing the expressions on the men's faces, her own changed as well. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing" Keisuke replied smiling at her a little unconvincingly. "We were just talking about not leaving for later things that you can do now. Especially important things."

"What? What things?" She asked curiously.

"You can ask Kōsaku later" Keisuke replied ignoring the glare Kōsaku was giving him. Turning to look at Megumi he added "I'll walk you two to the door."


	3. Chapter 3

Well, here is chapter 3. I already have a number of chapters written for this story, so the update speed will hopefully be decently fast. I think you will like this chapter. If you do please fav and follow. Please don't forget to leave comments as well, if you do, you'll find my replies to your comments at the end of every new chapter.

Disclaimer: If you read the previous 2 chapters, you'll know I don't own Code Blue

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"Megumi do you remember what you told me when you said you were going to go to Toronto?" Mihoko Hiyama scolded her best friend over the phone. "I'm going to go to Toronto and I'm going to tell him my feelings. No matter if he decides to go to NY or not, I want him to know."

"I remember" Megumi replied as she laid in the bed of her hotel room. "However it isn't as easy as I made it sound. Every time I try to tell him, the words just won't come out"

"I'd tell you to imagine him without clothes but that might make it worse." Mihoko joked and Megumi couldn't help but chuckle. "Anyway, tonight is your last night in Toronto. I say go for it."

"I intend to. If I don't, the two and a half months that remain before Aizawa comes back will seem even longer" Megumi said. She looked at her watch. "I gotta go, I've agreed to meet Aizawa and Aragaki for dinner."

"Aragaki is that Heart Surgeon friend of Aizawa who recently got a job at Shohoku right?" Mihoko asked.

"Yeah, the divorcée who has two children" Megumi said. "Really nice guy. I'm helping him look for a house."

"You are having Fujikawa look for a house you mean." Mihoko replied with a small smile. "You'll have to compensate Haruka, you know? Fujikawa is using that as an excuse to temporarily avoid his parental responsibilities and the twins are a little too much for her to handle alone all the time"

"I'll compensate her when I get back" Megumi said. "Talk to you when I get back. Bye."

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"What do you mean you can't make it to dinner?" Kōsaku said. "You were the one who had the idea to take her to the dinner cruise"

"I know, I'm sorry." Keisuke apologized as he held his phone with one hand while holding his crying daughter with the other. "But the babysitter cancelled at the last minute and l can't exactly abandon the children"

"I guess" Kōsaku replied.

"Look, it's just a dinner with a good friend of yours, who also happens to be a stunningly beautiful woman." Keisuke said. "I think you'll be able handle it. Plus who knows? You may be able to overcome your fears and confess your feelings." He added jokingly.

"Keisuke…" Kōsaku said, annoyed by his friend. Despite the interruption during the birthday, Kōsaku had later told Keisuke about why he was so reluctant to confess. He was afraid of things going horribly wrong if they began dating. Keisuke hadn't been surprised. Kōsaku had not had a normal family, his mom committed suicide and his dad had abandoned him.

"I know, Kōsaku. Do things at your own pace" Keisuke said in an apologetic tone. "Do tell me if something interesting happens though. Something like, for example, you deciding to confess." He then added in a teasing voice.

"Keisuke!" Kōsaku said, now truly annoyed.

"Ok, ok" his friend said, deciding not to tease him any further. He continued to speak but this time in a more serious tone. "But let me remind you of something. While what happened with your family is terrible but you are not your dad and Megumi isn't your mom. I was kind of sure before I met her but now I'm completely sure. She's the one for you, don't let her escape through your fingers just because of your fears."

"I gotta go. I am going to take a shower and change before going out" Kōsaku said. He was no longer annoyed but he knew his friend wouldn't drop the subject if they continued to talk. "I'll talk to you tomorrow."

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Around an hour after talking with their friends Megumi and Kōsaku sat in one of the tables of a dinner cruise, sailing through the waters of Lake Ontario. Both were dressed very elegantly and, in Kōsaku's opinion, Megumi looked especially beautiful in the dress she had chosen for the occasion.

"It's a shame that Doctor Aragaki couldn't be with us tonight" Megumi said.

"He asked me to tell you he was really sorry" Kōsaku said. "But don't worry after he moves back to Japan you'll learn to appreciate the moments without him" he joked, making her laugh.

"Don't be mean. His friendship is good for you. You smile more, your expression is less stoic" Megumi replied, taking a sip of their wine.

"It's not only because of him" Kōsaku muttered almost inaudibly.

"Did you say something?" Megumi asked.

"We are good for each other, Keisuke and I" Kōsaku said and Megumi couldn't help but agree. While Keisuke helped Kōsaku be more open and look more like what he really was on the inside, it was clear to all that Kōsaku was a great support for his friend, both with the children and the divorce. Keisuke himself told her on more than one occasion that he didn't know what would have happened if Kōsaku wasn't there for him when his wife left him and the children but that he would be in a much darker place. "After dinner we could go up to the deck and enjoy the view". Kōsaku added

"That wouldn't be a bad idea" she replied as a waiter brought her their dinner and Kōsaku nodded before changing the topic.

"At what time does your flight leave tomorrow? Maybe I could go to the airport to see you off." He said.

"The flight leaves at 7 pm." Megumi said "I have to be at the airport at five."

Kōsaku pulled out his phone and checked the calendar. "I have an operation scheduled around four" he said. "Sorry."

"Don't be. I bothered you and Aragaki enough" she replied although she did feel a little disappointed

"You've not bothered either of us" He said. "I'm glad you came." He added and Megumi gave him one of her warm smiles which he corresponded with a small smile of his own.

After that they spent the dinner talking a little about everything, from Fujikawa and Saejima's children, to Aragaki's former wife, the more Megumi learned about the woman, the more she detested her, despite not actually knowing her, and Hiyama's troubles with her boyfriend, Ogata. After eating dessert they rose from their table and went towards the deck, observing the illuminated skyline of Toronto at night from the lake. Besides them many other couples were watching the same view as them, whispering words of love to each other and sharing kisses from time to time.

"I'm gonna kill Aragaki" Kōsaku thought, remembering their earlier phone call. Luckily Megumi was busy looking at the city and didn't seem aware of their surroundings.

"It's a beautiful sight" Megumi said.

"It is" he agreed, looking at her instead of the city. She shuddered, and Kōsaku realized the night was colder than Megumi was prepared for. Taking off his jacket, he put it over her shoulders. She looked at him and gave him a grateful smile while blushing a little. When he saw this Kōsaku thought about all the worries he had when he thought about confessing his feelings, worries that were becoming less scary by the second. "Megumi" he spoke, calling her by her first name and making her face grow redder.

"Y-Yes?" She asked

"I actually have to tell you something. I..." he began to say but stopped himself as she looked straight into his eyes both curious and also a bit nervous due to her noticing the nervousness in his own face. "I have feelings for you. I like you more than a friend, I'd like us to be more than that." He finally managed to say. As far as confessions go, it wasn't very impressive.

"Eh?" Megumi asked as her brain tried to comprehend the words she'd just heard. "What are you saying?"

"Well I mean just that…" Kōsaku began to reply slowly, trying to gather the courage to confess his feelings more clearly "I think I'm in love with you Shiraishi. Actually, I'm pretty sure I am, even though I've never felt this way for another woman before. Now, you don't have to feel the same way and if you don't I hope that you can just forget all and we can continue being friends. If you feel the same way I'd like to change our relationship."

Megumi looked at him. In all the scenarios that had played out in her head, she'd blush furiously after Kōsaku confessed to her. But now seeing the genius neurosurgeon struggling to confess his feelings, she could swear he had heard him stutter a bit, she could only smile at him. "I think I feel the same way." She said before embracing him.

"Good." He finally whispered in her ear after a few seconds of silence. She looked into his eyes again and the new couple smiled at each other lovingly before sharing the first of what they hoped would be many kisses to come while Kōsaku's fears were pushed to the back of his head, where he hoped they'd eventually disappear.

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After Megumi stepped out of the taxi that had taken from the airport to her house, she was surprised to find her two best friends waiting for her. "Megumi" Mihoko spoke as she approached the taxi and opened the trunk of the cab to get her luggage. "Welcome home" She said with a smile that, at least to Megumi, seemed a little bit forced.

"I'm back. What are you two doing here?" Megumi asked.

"You sent us a text when the plane landed telling us you were back and we decided that required a celebration. After all you accomplished your objective of telling the man you love your feelings and got him to be your boyfriend after all." Mihoko said before running towards the apartment complex's entrance. Megumi looked at Haruka questioningly and her other best friend gave her an explanation.

"Ogata broke up with her after a huge fight. He's been cheating on Mihoko with someone else. That's all she told me before passing out drunk yesterday at the Meguri Ai. She's spent today with me and the kids avoiding the topic, and Ogata's calls." Haruka explained in a low voice trying to prevent Mihoko from hearing her. "When you called and she said she wanted to come and welcome you home I figured it would be easier to talk with her and console her."

"Alright" Megumi said as they both went after their friend who was looking at them impatiently from the building's entrance. In a few minutes Megumi entered her apartment followed by the other two and after leaving her luggage in her room she saw that Mihoko had already pulled three cold beers from the fridge and was looking for some snacks.

"Megumi don't you have any snacks?" Mihoko asked.

"No, but I'll get some from the convenience store" she said, heading for the door.

"I'll go too" Haruka said, clearly uncomfortable with not only intruding into her house but also having her buy snacks for her and Mihoko.

"Don't worry, I'll be back soon" Megumi said, waving her hand and stepping out of the apartment. Before she had walked a couple of steps. her smartphone began to ring. When she pulled it from the pocket she saw it was Kōsaku calling and smiled while accepting the call. "Hey" she said as she began to walk again.

"Hello. Are you home yet?" He asked.

"Yep, just arrived. I'm actually going to the convenience store to buy some snacks." She said.

"Why? Did you not have dinner on the plane?" He asked.

"Mihoko and Haruka were waiting for me near my building. Mihoko broke up with Ogata and we are going to have some beers at my home. Try to cheer her up." She explained. "What about you?"

"I spent tonight at the hospital, I had to finish some work after the operation. I'm grabbing a late breakfast with Aragaki." He replied. "He says hello and wants me to tell you that Fujikawa found him a house."

"Really? Glad to hear it!" She said, happy for their friend. "He's coming in three weeks?"

"Yeah" Kōsaku said.

"Tell him to call me when he arrives, I'll organize a welcome party for him and the kids" she said.

"Will do." He said. "I'm returning 2 and a half months by the way but you don't need to organize a welcome back party for me, although having dinner with you would be nice." He added, prompting Keisuke to laugh before he quieted him down with a small glare

"Done" Megumi said with a small smile on her face. "Can't wait."

"Me, neither. Anyway, I'll call you again. Don't stay up until too late." He said in a satisfied voice. "And don't drink too much, you know how you get when you drink."

"Like you are one to talk" she replied chuckling. "Love you. Talk to you soon" She added.

"Love you too" he replied before ending the call.

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Reply to cupid17's comment: Thank you! I hope you like the next chapters!


	4. Chapter 4

Here is chapter 4. I'll try to keep the update speed at one chapter every 2 days, let's see if I can keep it that way throughout the story. I hope you enjoy it. Please follow fav and leave a comment if you do.

PS: You leaving comments is especially important for me since I want to know your opinions.

Disclaimer: I don't own Code Blue, all rights belong to its legitimate owners.

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Megumi entered the Meguri Ai and looked at the woman sleeping at the bar with an almost empty bottle of Whiskey at her side. Mary Jane Yoko looked at her and sighed as he glanced at Mihoko's sleeping form. The okama had called her a couple of hours ago to come and get her friend but Megumi had not finished her shift yet had to find someone to cover the rest of it before going to pick up her friend.

"Sorry I couldn't get here sooner" Megumi apologized to the owner of the bar.

"Don't worry, she passed out shortly after I called you." Mary Jane replied. "I had guessed that the reason she was coming here with you again was because of a bad breakup but I didn't expect it to be this bad."

"She really liked this boyfriend" Megumi explained before approaching her friend and shaking her awake. Mihoko groaned as she opened her eyes looking at her best friend with her eyes barely almost shut.

"Megumi?" She asked a little uncertain about who the person who'd woken her up was.

"Yep" Megumi replied, helping her up. "I thought you told me you were going to stay home today. Watch some tv."

"I just felt like going out. Get my mind off the breakup." She said. "Perhaps I should go back to work."

"You are on vacation, you still have a few days left." Megumi reminded her.

Almost three weeks had passed since Megumi returned from Toronto and she'd found out about Mihoko and her boyfriend splitting up. Her best friend had not been well since then. She had returned to work after spending the night of Megumi's return drinking, crying about Ogata and ranting about men in general but the breakup affected her work. She barely slept and that affected her work so her bosses at the Perinatal Care Center had suggested taking some time off until she got back on her feet.

In order to help her, Megumi had invited Mihoko to stay with her. After all, the apartment she was living in was one she had shared with Ogata and both Haruka and Megumi thought it would do Mihoko good if she spent some time away from it. So far their plan wasn't working as they'd expected.

"Megumi, do you think I should go back to Lifesaving?" Mihoko asked, snapping Megumi out of her thoughts.

"What?" Megumi couldn't help but ask as she was completely caught off guard by Mihoko's question.

"I've been thinking about it for a while now. I want to go back to Lifesaving" Mihoko told her friend, groaning in pain as her headache increased.

"Let's talk about it when you are not hungover" Megumi said kindly as she helped her friend towards the door which Mary Jane opened for them, waving goodbye with a worried expression as they walked past him.

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"I was talking seriously you know" Mihoko said after waking up the next afternoon.

"Hey, good to see you are better from your hangover." Megumi greeted her friend looking away from her laptop's screen. "About what?"

"About going back to Lifesaving" Mihoko said.

"Not that I wouldn't love to have you be part of the team again but I thought you found your true calling as an OB-GYN working in the Perinatal Care Center. Why do you want to come back?"

"Do you remember around half a year ago, when there were several serious traffic accidents due to an earthquake?" Mihoko said. Megumi nodded, it would have been hard not to remember that day. It had been a really busy day for both, the members of the EMS and the hospital staff in general. "I helped tending to the injured at the scene of one of those accidents. I acted just like I was taught to act in a situation like that. I helped save some lives and even helped a pregnant woman deliver her baby. It was a terrible situation and, sometimes, I felt as scared as in my first years in Lifesaving. However I also felt like I belonged there. Helping people during those kinds of situations. Tending to them before sending them to the hospital. I don't regret having become an OB-GYN, it's just that I feel that I belong in Lifesaving."

"Aren't you just feeling nostalgic?" Megumi asked.

"I thought so as well too at first. I buried myself in work to the point where I ended up pushing Ogata into the arms of some Kindergarten teacher" Mihoko answered while shaking her head. "But it has only reinforced the idea. I want to go back."

"I think that you are only remembering the best things. I've seen you go through a lot when we worked together as flight doctors. And I clearly recall last time you worked in Lifesaving you couldn't wait to get back to the Perinatal Care Center." Megumi reminded her. It wasn't that she didn't want her friend working back at Lifesaving. It was that she remembered how much Mihoko had suffered sometimes during her time at Shohoku and she didn't wish for her to suffer like that again

"Megumi, you don't need to remind me of that. I know how I felt about Lifesaving, I remember the worst times more vividly than I do the good ones. Despite that, I still want to go back." Mihoko replied. She sounded sincere.

Suddenly something dawned on Megumi. "The Perinatal Care Center didn't really give you all this time off to get back on your feet. Did they?" She asked.

"They gave me a week off. I presented them my resignation three days later." Mihoko replied. "I gotta say. It seemed like they were expecting it since long ago. From what I've been told my replacement began working there a week after they received my resignation. I didn't tell you any of this before because I knew you'd react like this and because I think I wanted to get better before returning to Lifesaving. But now, I think I need to return to get over the breakup." She explained.

Megumi looked at her best friend, not saying anything for a few seconds. She felt a bit hurt that her best friend had not talked to her about this before but she couldn't say Mihoko's reasons for not doing so were wrong. She had just reacted like her friend expected her to after all. She looked at her friend in the eyes, trying one last time to look for any hesitation about what she'd just told her. She found none, she looked completely sure about her decision. And knowing how determined her friend could be when she wanted, Megumi knew that, even if she didn't help her get back her job in Lifesaving, she would try to get back either way.

"Alright, if this is what you want I'll speak to Doctor Tachibana tomorrow" Megumi finally said with a sigh.

Mihoko smiled at her in response and gave her a strong hug. "Thank you."

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"Say goodbye to Uncle Kōsaku" Keisuke told his son opening the door of the taxi that was supposed to take them to the airport with one arm while holding his sleeping daughter on the other.

"No! Uncle Kōsaku is coming too! You said he was going to live in Japan like us! You said he was going to live in the same city as us!" Satoshi replied, crying as he hugged his uncle's leg.

"Your Uncle has some things to finish here first. When he is done he will be going to Japan as well" his father said reassuringly.

"When will you be done?" The little boy asked between hiccups.

"Soon" Kōsaku replied. "I'll be there in seven weeks."

"Too long!" Satoshi cried, hugging the leg with more strength

"Satoshi!" Keisuke began but stopped himself as he realized his daughter was beginning to wake up from her nap.

"Satoshi" Kōsaku said as he knelt in front of the little boy. "I need you to go to Japan before me. I need you to do something for me there until I arrive."

"What?" Satoshi asked, curious about the mission Kōsaku was going to give him.

"Take care of Auntie Megumi for me. I'm worried about her and I trust no one else to protect her until I arrive." Kōsaku said. "Can you do that for me?"

"Yes!" The child replied, excited at the thought of his uncle trusting him so much and giving him such an important mission. After that, he finally entered the taxi just as the driver finished putting their bags on the trunk of the car.

"I could take care of Megumi" Keisuke joked and Kōsaku threw him a murderous glare. "Ok, ok I'll leave it to him then." He added chuckling. "I don't know what she sees in you, you've no sense of humor at all."

"Get in the cab already" Kōsaku said, rolling his eyes.

"Ok, ok, I'm going" His friend replied, keeping an amused smile on his face. "See you in a few weeks."

Kōsaku nodded and Keisuke got on the taxi which left for the airport. Finally alone the neurosurgeon pulled out his phone. It was 7 pm inToronto, which made it 8 am of the next day in Japan. He supposed it was a good time to call Megumi, so he pressed her number and called her. She picked up after two tones.

"Hey Kōsaku" Megumi greeted him. "What's up?"

"Nothing, just wanted to talk to you. Is it a bad time?" He said.

"I'm on my way to talk to Dr. Tachibana. Mihoko wants to come back to Lifesaving as a flight doctor." She explained.

"I thought she was doing well in the Perinatal Care Center" Kōsaku said.

"She said she didn't feel like she belonged there, she says she belongs in Lifesaving" Megumi explained. "Where are you? I'm noticing a lot of background noise"

"I'm going home after saying goodbye to Keisuke and the kids. They just left for the airport." Her boyfriend answered.

"They should be arriving late tonight then. I'll call them tomorrow to have lunch." she said.

"I'm sure they'll like that" he replied.

"Listen, I see Doctor Tachibana so I need to end the call. Talk to you later." Megumi said.

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Reply to dindakusuma's comment: Here you have it! Hope you enjoy it!

Reply to xianiaHarMione's comment: You won't have to wait long, I intend to update every two days. You are welcome! I'm glad you like the story!

Thank you for your comments!


	5. Chapter 5

Here is the fifth chapter, this one will be mostly centered in my OCs and it might or might not have a character named after one of the most iconic J-horror creatures. I hope you enjoy it! Please remember to follow and fav if you do.

Disclaimer: I don't own Code Blue, I just like it a lot.

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Keisuke woke up late that morning. Their flight had arrived at Narita airport later than expected, and upon arrival they found themselves face to face with a very pissed landlord who seemed to blame his new tenants for said delay. Of course Keisuke wasn't a fool and he understood why he was like that.

The man had had to wait until it was late at night for them to arrive and give them the keys and finally sign the rental agreement. Not only that but he'd also been there in the morning to receive some boxes with some of the things that Keisuke couldn't carry as luggage and had sent ahead of his departure. That was why after receiving the keys, signing the agreement and paying him the first month of rent and the rental deposit he gave him a little extra cash as a form of appreciation. After that, he assembled his daughter's crib and made his son's bed, falling unconscious on his own bed at around 3 am in the morning.

Looking at the cellphone he'd managed to leave on the nightstand, he realized he'd slept for eight hours. He sighed, he felt like it wouldn't be bad to sleep a couple of hours more. He knew however that he wouldn't be so lucky. As if the universe agreed with him, a baby's cry could be heard coming from his daughter's room. Groaning he rose up from his bed and moved to pick up his daughter.

"Daddy" he heard his son's tired voice coming from his room.

"Yes Satoshi?" he replied kindly as he saw his son exiting his room and approach him sleepily.

"Why is Sakura crying today? I'm tired!" The little boy said a little angry that his sister had woken him up.

"Well Satoshi. Remember Sakura is only one year old and crying is still the best way she has to tell us that she needs something." Keisuke explained finding it a bit funny that his son thought his sister was crying just to bother him.

"And what does she want?" The little child asked.

"I'm not sure. Let's go and find out." he said, resuming his walk towards his daughter's room. Opening the door a foul smell greeted him. Ignoring it, he moved towards the crib and picked her up. "Ok little missy let's get you changed" he said kissing his crying daughter and moving towards the bathroom where he'd left all of Sakura's spare diapers and other baby things to change her and clean her.

"I'm hungry" Satoshi said, his voice demanding that his father put a solution to that immediately. Keisuke looked at the child, it was well past breakfast time and they were going to eat Megumi's house, he didn't want his son not to eat anything. However as a doctor he knew it wasn't good for anyone, especially children, to skip on a meal. After thinking about it he reached a decision.

"Well we don't have any food here so what do you say we dress your sister and you and go out to have some breakfast. Deal?" He said. The child's eyes lit up and he nodded enthusiastically at his father's proposal.

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After getting his children ready, having a quick shower and changing clothes, Keisuke took his children out for breakfast to a cafe that was near their new apartment. It was quite amusing to see his son trying to look at everything that was between their house and the cafe or be surprised that everyone around him spoke japanese like his dad and himself. He was like an explorer exploring a new and mystical land.

The cafe was a small family run business, a woman in her early forties seemed to cook the food and wait on the clients with the aid of a couple of teenagers, a boy and a girl, while a couple of children played nearby without bothering the clients. When Keisuke entered the cafe the woman smiled at him.

"Welcome. Table for three?" She greeted them.

"Yes please" Keisuke replied and the woman looked at the girl.

"Sadako, take them to their table." The girl nodded, grabbing a menu and leading them to one of the empty tables.

"I'll bring you a highchair for the little one" she said smiling at Sakura who smiled at her and began to babble as if trying to say something.

"Thank you" Keisuke said while he helped his son sit on one of the chairs before unstrapping his daughter and picking her and holding her until the waitress returned with the children's highchair.

"Let me know when you are ready to order" she said before leaving to wait on another table.

"Daddy I want pancakes" Satoshi said as he eyed the menu, catching his father off guard for a moment until he noticed that the menu came with photos of the different dishes. Grabbing the menu he sat across the child who glared at him for doing so.

"Ok, we'll share a plate of pancakes" Keisuke said.

"I want a plate for me. You get another one daddy." Satoshi argued but his father shook his head.

"We are going to get one. Remember we are going to Auntie Megumi's for lunch later and I don't want you filling up with this late breakfast." He reminded his son.

"I won't fill up daddy. I promise!" Satoshi said with tears in his eyes about to throw a Tantrum.

"Satoshi come on! We are going to eat tons of delicious food at Auntie's house." Keisuke tried to convince him. "Maybe you'll have pancakes there too."

"I want pancakes here!" The child began to cry. "I want pancakes here! A plate only for me."

"Satoshi, stop it or you will not have any pancakes." Keisuke warned.

"No! You will not have pancakes daddy! I want pancakes!" the child cried prompting his little sister to begin to whimper as she noticed his bad mood.

"Enough!" Keisuke said more sternly than he had intended to. The child cried harder than before and Sakura began to cry as well. Sighing, he rose up from the chair and put his daughter back in the trolley before picking up little Satoshi as well. "We are going home" he decided, walking towards the door and throwing several apologetic looks at everyone present.

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Looking at the time on his phone, Keisuke wondered if he should just cancel going to Megumi's house for lunch after the tantrum Satoshi had thrown. A part of him thought he shouldn't. After all, according to what Kōsaku had told him it was a kind of welcome party to introduce him to some of the people who worked at Shohoku. Another part of him thought otherwise. Even though he had managed to feed his children after a painful trip to the supermarket, his son didn't seem ready to forgive him for the pancakes he had not gotten to eat yet.

He sighed. Whatever he decided he should decide within the next ten minutes. Luckily the children were already dressed and, according to Google Maps it shouldn't take him too long to arrive at Megumi's apartment but they should leave within that period of time if they wanted to be punctual. Suddenly the phone began ringing, checking the caller's ID he smiled.

"Hey mom" he spoke as he picked the phone.

"Are you already in Japan?" Sounded his mother's worried voice at the other side of the line.

"Of course" Keisuke replied. "Don't you remember I told you I'd arrive yesterday?"

"I do" his mom replied. "I also remember you telling me you'd call me as soon as the plane landed."

"Sorry mom, I completely forgot." He apologized. "But the plane arrived later than expected and I still had to do a few things upon arrival. By the time I finished I fell asleep."

"I fell asleep too" his mom said. "Waiting for your call. You could at least have called this morning."

"Sorry mom" he repeated.

"Anyway I'm thinking of dropping by one of these days. I'd like to stay with you and the kids for a couple of months." his mother changed the topic.

"It's not necessary mom" Keisuke said, becoming nervous at the thought of his mother coming 'for a visit'. It wasn't that he didn't love the woman, far from it. She had raised him and his two sisters all on her own giving them all the love a mother could give her children.

The problem was that she still treated her offspring as children and whenever she stayed with one of them it was like returning to their teenage years. Plus there was the fact that his mom never stayed only a couple of months when she visited her daughters or her son. A couple of months was what she had claimed she'd stay with his older sister after her first husband died and five years later she was still living with her, her children and her new husband. He couldn't let the same thing happen with him. "I was planning to take a few days off to visit you in a few months. Just stay in Sendai with Kyoko."

"I'm old enough to do whatever I please. I don't need my children telling me what to do." His mother scolded him.

'And your children are old enough to live on their own' Keisuke wanted to reply but he held his tongue knowing speaking such words would only complicate things. "Ok, listen. I've agreed to meet some friends for lunch. We'll talk about it further when I return. Love you mom."

"Ok, I'll talk to you then. I love you too son." His mom said before ending the call. Sighing, Keisuke noticed someone tugging at his pants and noticed Satoshi looking at him with puppy eyes.

"What is it?" He asked.

"I'm sorry I cried earlier daddy." The little child said. Keisuke was pleasantly surprised by this and smiled at his son. He'd always told him that when you did something wrong, it was important to apologize. He was proud of him for doing it without having to be reminded.

"It's alright Satoshi, I forgive you" the man said smiling at his son. "Do you want to go to Auntie Megumi's home now?" He asked the little boy who nodded before hugging his father's leg.

"Let's go grab your sister then" Keisuke said, happy that this problem had been solved rather easily. If only every problem could be solved like this.

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Reply to kalakea08's comment: I'm glad :). Here you have the next update!

Reply to Animangaloverz's comment: I'm really glad. Thank you for reading!

Thank you for the comments!


	6. Chapter 6

Here is the sixth chapter. It's a bit shorter than the others. I'm sorry, I'll make it up to you with some longer chapters in the future. As always, Follow, Fav and/or Review if you like this chapter, which I hope you do.

Disclaimer: If you have been reading the other chapters you already know this but (sad sigh) I do not own Code Blue.

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Megumi opened the door shortly after the doorbell sounded and smiled as she saw Keisuke and his children on the other side. "Welcome guys! It's good to see you again!" She said kneeling down and receiving a hug from Satoshi. Smiling at the sight Keisuke spoke as he pushed her daughter's trolley through the door.

"It's good to see you too Shiraishi." He then looked at the women who were standing a few feet behind, both of them holding a baby each and at the man with glasses, all of whom were smiling at the sight as well. "Hello, I'm Keisuke Aragaki nice to meet you all." He told them and they approached in response.

"Hello Dr. Aragaki, I'm Dr. Kazuo Fujikawa." The man introduced himself. "We've spoken several times over the phone and via e-mail, it's very nice to finally meet you in person" He added offering him a handshake.

"Nice to meet you Dr. Fujikawa, thank you for all your help during my search for an apartment" Keisuke replied shaking his hand before looking at the woman.

"I'm Haruka Fujikawa, nice to meet you" Haruka introduced herself shaking Keisuke's hand as well.

"Nice to meet you" Keisuke replied before looking at the other woman.

"I'm Dr. Mihoko Hiyama" the woman introduced herself shaking his hand as well.

"Nice to meet you Dr. Hiyama." He said. Feeling ignored for not having being introduced Sakura began to babble from her trolley making the three other adults look at her and her father pick her up. "Do you want to say hello Sakura?" He asked her daughter who continued babbling and gurgling as if telling them a nice story.

"Daddy" sounded his son's voice as he walked towards the group with Megumi. "Who are they?" He asked a bit shyly.

"They are your Uncle Kōsaku's friends. Say hello Satoshi" His father replied and the child made a greeted the other adults with a small bow.

"Hello, nice to meet you" he said, more politely than Keisuke had ever seen his son do. "My name is Satoshi Aragaki and I'm three years old."

"You are three?" Haruo asked smiling at the little boy. "You are already a little man aren't you?" He asked. Satoshi smiled and nodded.

"Yes!" He replied proudly making the adults laugh.

"And who are these two precious things?" Keisuke asked looking at the babies that Haruka and Mihoko were holding.

"These are the children of Haruka and I" Haruo said smiling brightly at the babies. "A boy and a girl." He pointed at the girl who was currently being held by her mom "That's Yui" and then he pointed to the other baby "And that's Minoru."

Smiling at the scene Megumi clapped one time to catch everyone's attention. "Now that the presentation's are done please go to the living room while I finish preparing lunch."

Everyone nodded and moved into the living room seating on the couches while little Satoshi played with the babies. "I gotta say, I was surprised when th Aizawa told me he had made a friend in Canada. He is a kind man but the first impression everyone has of him isn't exactly that one." Kazuo said with a laugh.

"I know. When I first met him, a couple of people from his Department told me he was an asshole who thought he was above everybody." Keisuke replied laughing as well. "I kind of thought like that myself for a while until I realized the truth. He works hard to back up his words with his actions and he doesn't believe he is above everybody else, the two who'd criticized him were just jealous because they didn't like that their Department Chief favored him over them. He is also one of the most loyal persons I know." He added with a smile.

"He is that" Kazuo said with a smile.

"Daddy!" Satoshi's excited voice interrupted them. "One of the babies grabbed my finger!"

"Did they now?" He replied smiling trying to sound as excited as his child.

"You know, I think that means they like you" Mihoko said, smiling at the little boy who beamed at her in response.

"Can I carry one of them?" Satoshi asked his father hopefully.

"I don't know" Keisuke replied. "I think you are a little too young for that. Maybe you can keep an eye on them after lunch, make sure they take their naps." He added with a wink.

"Em!" the child said before running off to ask Megumi if the food was ready.

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After the food was eaten and getting to know each other, Keisuke telling them many things about his life and anecdotes of Kōsaku in Toronto while the others told him anecdotes about his time working at Shohoku, some of which he already knew but others he didn't. By the end of the meal they all were talking with Keisuke like he was a friend that they hadn't seen in some time.

"I gotta say Kōsaku spoke a lot about you guys but you are even better in person than I thought you would be" Keisuke said with a smile.

"Seriously?" Mihoko asked. "Did Aizawa tell you good things about us?"

"Yes. But it wasn't what he said about you but how he spoke about you. It is clear that he not only respects you as professionals but that he considers you his family." Keisuke replied and the others smiled.

"Why don't you take the kids to my room for a nap?" Megumi asked, looking at the three sleeping babies and the sleepy Satoshi who was struggling to stay awake after eating his fill.

"That does sound good" Kazuo said with a smile. "Unfortunately, I can't stay. I told Doctor Tachibana I'd be back after lunch." He said rising from his seat.

"I see" Megumi said. "What about the rest?"

"I can stay a little longer," Haruka replied.

"Yeah, me too" Keisuke said. "But I'll take you up in the offer to put these two down for a nap" he added as he saw his son yawn. Rising from his seat, he shook Kazuo's hand. "It was a pleasure meeting you Fujikawa. I hope to see you around the hospital."

"Me too" Kazuo replied before going over to his wife. "I might be late, don't wait for me awake." He told her and Haruka nodded before she kissed her forehead and waved his hand at his other 2 friends. "I'll see you guys tomorrow."

"I'll walk you to the door" Megumi said.

"I'll help you two get these four to Megumi's room" Mihoko said, rising from her chair and pushing little Sakura's trolley. Soon Haruka followed suit pushing her children's trolley in the same direction while Keisuke picked up his son and followed her.

"Daddy I don't want to go to sleep" his son said sleepily as Keisuke laid him on Megumi's bed

"Ok pal, but you said you were going to make sure the babies took their nap." Keisuke reminded him.

"'Kay" his son said, remembering their earlier conversation. Smiling the three adults, left the room.

"Do you need help with the coffee?" Haruka asked Megumi

"Don't worry I got it" came Megumi's reply from the kitchen. Hearing that, the three adults sat down on the sofas and talked a little among themselves. Soon Megumi rejoined them bringing a coffee tray with four cups on it and a bit of milk.

"Thanks" Keisuke said as she handed him his cup but waved his hand when she offered him milk. Megumi nodded and served her friends before sitting down.

"So Doctor Arakawa, are you ready to start working in Shohoku tomorrow?" Mihoko asked.

"I think so" Keisuke said with a smile. "Although I may need to avoid night shifts for a while until I find someone I can trust with my children, other than that I'm good."

"I'm still on childcare leave so I can take care of them if you can't come home some nights" Haruka offered.

"But you already have enough taking care of your twins…" Keisuke tried to politely decline.

"Don't worry Mihoko and I can also help whenever you have a night shift and we don't." Megumi told him before looking at Mihoko "Right?"

"Eh?" Mihoko reacted to Megumi's words. She wouldn't mind taking care of the children and lending Keisuke a hand but she didn't like Megumi speaking for the both of them. She then looked at the man. "I guess it would be alright"

"However, I know how tiring a shift can be for a doctor, especially for an ER doctor. I can't ask you to do that." Keisuke said, he felt relieved that he didn't have to tell the Head of the Heart Surgery Department that he wouldn't be able to work night shifts for some time but he felt bad about inconveniencing the three of them.

"Don't worry" Megumi said waving her hand to tell him they weren't bothered by it so he shouldn't be either. Keisuke sighed.

"I'll accept your help for now." He finally accepted. "I'll find ways of compensating you for it."

"If you want to really compensate me, you could let me live with you when Aizawa returns and Megumi and him begin to live together" Mihoko joked, smirking mischievously and making Haruka and Keisuke laugh. Megumi on the other hand wasn't so amused.

"Wait, Mihoko who said anything about Kōsaku and I living together!?" Megumi said, blushing furiously at her friend's words. "We've barely begun dating."

"I'm not talking about the present" Mihoko said, her smirk not leaving her face. "I could be talking about the distant future."

"A very distant future!" Megumi exclaimed before realizing something. "Wait… the distant future? How long exactly do you plan on staying here!?" She then added making the other three laugh harder.


	7. Chapter 7

So ladies and gentlemen, we finally have chapter 7 here. So sorry I didn't upload earlier but I just couldn't. I'll try to update as frequently as possible from now on, I'm not sure if it will be a chapter every two days like I said it would be before or one every three or four, we'll have to see (very sorry for that).

Other thing, I'll soon be uploading a three or four chapter Kung Fu panda Human AU story that will serve as a prologue to a larger story. I hope you'll check it out when it comes out. Don't worry, that larger story will not take much of my writing time until I'm done with this one.

Disclaimer: I don't think I have to remind you but sadly I don't own Code Blue.

As always: Fav, Follow and/or Review if you like the story

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The following morning Keisuke knocked on the door of the Chief of the Heart Surgery Department at Shohoku after having changed his street attire for the Department's violet uniform and a white coat. After hearing the "Go ahead" coming from the other side of the room, he entered the office. Inside, a man sat behind his desk, he was probably in his late forties, he was thin, wore glasses and had a serious yet kind expression on his face.

"Doctor Inoue?" Keisuke asked as he entered the office. The Chief of the Heart Surgery Department nodded as he rose from his chair.

"That's me. You must be Doctor Aragaki. It's very nice to meet you in person at last" he greeted the newcomer offering him a handshake which Keisuke took.

"Thank you sir" Keisuke said "It's good to be here."

"I gotta say your curriculum is impressive. I was a bit worried when two of my best doctors left at the same time. I'm glad I could manage to hire someone like you to fill one of the positions."

"Thank you" Keisuke said again.

"Please have a seat" Doctor Inoue said as he returned to his own seat. "Did it take you too long to get to the hospital?"

"Not at all sir. I took a Taxi." Keisuke replied. "I took longer to leave my children in daycare."

"I think you talked about your children during the interviews." Doctor Inoue said "If I recall correctly, you said you had 2 children right?"

"Yes sir. A boy and a girl. Satoshi and Sakura are their names and they are 3 and 1 years old respectively." Keisuke replied, smiling warmly as he thought of his children.

"I remember when my own children were that age." Doctor Inoue said in a melancholic voice. "Those were the good times, I recommend your wife and you make the most of every moment you spend with them now. When they grow up you won't be able to spend much time with them."

"I'll take your advice" Keisuke said, forcing himself to continue smiling. "But my wife and I are divorced."

"Sorry to hear that." Doctor Inoue said.

"Don't worry about it" Keisuke said, thankful that he didn't want to know why they separated, he didn't want to spend his first day at work angry. His mind returned to the present when someone knocked on the office's door.

"Chief, it's Kashibawara" came the voice of a woman from the other side of the door.

"Ah, come in" Doctor Inoue said and a female doctor entered the office. She was around Keisuke's age, wore glasses and had her black hair made up in a ponytail. "Doctor Aragaki, let me introduce you." He told Keisuke. "This is Doctor Aya Kashibawara. Kashibawara, this is one of our new doctors, Doctor Keisuke Aragaki."

"Nice to meet you" Doctor Kashibawara said, smiling softly at him. Keisuke nodded in response.

"You too" he replied.

"Kashibawara I'd like for him to accompany you on your rounds this morning." Doctor Inoue told the female Doctor. "Show him around a little and show him the patients he is going to be in charge of."

"Alright" She nodded. "I was about to begin."

"Good, then all that's left for me to do is welcome you again to the department and wish you a good first day" The Chief of the Department said.

"Thank you sir" Keisuke said before following the woman out of the room.

Their round took a little over an hour to complete. Doctor Kashibawara took the time to wait until Keisuke read the medical info on his future patients and was willing to answer any of the questions he had after. Also, he spent some time talking and becoming familiar with the patients that were conscious and talked with every family member of the patients assigned to him. The trust between a Doctor and his patients, as well as the trust between the doctor and the family members of said patients, was something very important after all.

When the rounds were done and Keisuke had been shown all the patients whose care would be on his hands now, Doctor Kashibawara and Keisuke parted ways when she was called by one of the nurses due to one of her own patients showing symptoms of his recently transplanted heart being rejected by his body. Looking at the clock, he decided to go to the desk that had been assigned to him and memorize the medical reports on the patients that were now his.

About half an hour later he was interrupted when Doctor Inoue rushed into the room "They need us in Lifesaving! Let's go!" The man said motioning for Keisuke to follow him as he rushed out again. Throwing the report on the desk, Keisuke ran after him. "What do they need us there for?" He asked after they reached the elevator.

"Their guys went to the scene of an accident. One of the drivers involved has had his aorta ruptured." Inoue replied. "The flight doctors will be arriving shortly."

"God" Keisuke whispered as the elevator reached its destination and both doctors continued their sprint towards one of the operating rooms. As fast as they could they prepared for the operation along with the team that would be assisting them.

"Here they come" Doctor Inoue said and Keisuke looked at a group of Doctors and nurses, amongst whom he recognized Fujikawa, running towards them at full speed pushing a stretcher towards the OR. As soon as the patient arrived, their team quickly began to work, in these kinds of situations speed was crucial since it was already a miracle that the patient made it as far as to the hospital without dying.

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The operation took more time than expected, but Keisuke and his new boss managed to save the patient. After reassuring the family of the patient and a tall and thin bespectacled doctor, who looked even more nervous than them, that the man would live and if there were no complications he would be able to recover. Both men got changed and cleaned up to head to the cafeteria for a well-deserved meal.

"You did well today Dr. Aragaki." Doctor Inoue said as they both sat down at a table with their food.

"Thank you sir, you too." Keisuke replied. "The Lifesaving team played a very important part in saving that patient than either of us did."

"They normally do." Doctor Inoue said. "The EMS people this hospital has, are top notch professionals."

"Thank you for that" Another Doctor said with a smile on his face. He was a man in his late forties or early fifties and was dressed in the same uniform as the EMS people he'd seen earlier, but, unlike them, he was wearing a doctor's coat over it.

"Well, their boss is only so-so" Doctor Inoue said as the other doctor sat on the chair next to him. "Doctor Keisuke Aragaki, this is Doctor Keisuke Tachibana, Chief of the Emergency Unit." He introduced them to each other.

"So you are Aizawa's friend from Toronto?" Doctor Tachibana said, offering him a handshake, which Keisuke accepted while nodding. "It's very nice to meet you."

"Likewise sir. I've heard a lot about you." Keisuke replied with a smile.

"Is that so?" Doctor Tachibana smiled. "Only good things I hope."

"Mostly good things" Keisuke replied.

"Oh?" Doctor Tachibana raised an eyebrow. "What did Aizawa say about me?"

"That you were a good Doctor but you weren't the easiest person to get along with, at least in the beginning." Keisuke replied and Tachibana chuckled.

"He is one to talk" the head of the Emergency Unit said with a chuckle, which Keisuke shared as he nodded in agreement, letting out a chuckle of his own.

"You are eating late today" Doctor Inoue interrupted, looking at his friend.

"Well, the accident the patient you operated on came from had multiple patients that needed treatment. We were a bit overwhelmed so we kind of have been taking turns to come and eat." Doctor Tachibana replied.

"How much personnel do you have working in Lifesaving?" Keisuke asked, surprised when Doctor Tachibana said they were overwhelmed.

"Not nearly enough" Doctor Tachibana said with a sigh. "We are always helped by the doctors of other departments but still our patient to doctor ratio is sometimes scary."

"You got some reinforcements today right? I saw Hiyama when I came to work this morning." Doctor Inoue said.

"Yeah. She quit her job at the Perinatal Care Center and told Shiraishi she wanted to come back. We still have to sign the contract and finalize the paperwork but from what she told me she wants to stay for good this time." Doctor Tachibana replied.

"Well if you ever feel overwhelmed again please call me. I'll be glad to lend you a hand whenever I can, not just as a heart surgeon but just as a doctor." Keisuke said and Tachibana smiled gratefully.

"Thank you" he said. "I will certainly accept your offer to help."

Keisuke nodded and returned to his food while the other two doctors changed the subject and began talking about Doctor Tachibana's son who'd undergone a heart transplant a little over two years ago. When he was finished with the food, Keisuke's phone began to ring. Checking the caller ID, he realized it was the Heart Surgery department's nurse station. "Aragaki here" he said after accepting the call.

"Doctor, Nurse Makimura here. Mr. Sugiwara is showing signs of pericarditis, can you come as soon as possible please?" Sounded the voice of one of the nurses.

"On my way" he replied standing up. Both Doctor Inoue and Doctor Tachibana looked at him. "One of my patients is showing signs of pericarditis, I'm needed back at the Heart Surgery Department." Both men nodded in understanding.

"I'll be back when I'm done eating" Doctor Inoue said and Keisuke nodded before rushing out of the cafeteria.

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Megumi Shiraishi sat near the helipad with a can of ice coffee on one hand and her phone on the other as she waited for her boyfriend to call. Kōsaku had called her earlier to see how her what she was doing and when she'd told him that she had the night shift that day, along with Doctor Yokomine and Doctor Haitani so she was grabbing a coffee, he had the idea to have a video-date by the helipad and talk drinking iced coffee or tea like they used to do in person.

Seeing the photo of her boyfriend pop up on the screen of her phone again as he video-called her she smiled and accepted the call. When the present day Kōsaku appeared, Megumi realized he was also near a helipad, one that was atop the hospital building in Toronto.

"Hey" he greeted her.

"Hey" she greeted him back with a smile. "Do you have time to do this? It's morning over there." She asked.

"Well, I didn't have a night shift yesterday but they called me in at 2:30 in the morning for an emergency surgery so I have some free time now." Kōsaku sipping his coffee. "How was your day?"

"Busier than usual." Megumi said drinking her own ice coffee. "There was a large accident, on one of the highways surrounding Chiba. There were too many injured, and ambulances had trouble reaching the site so we ended up taking care of most of the patients."

"I see" Kōsaku said. "And let me guess you switched the night shift with someone because they told you they were extremely tired."

"How did you know?" Megumi chuckled, that was exactly what had happened. Fujikawa was supposed to have the night shift that day but he had asked Megumi to cover for him in exchange for him covering her next night shift.

"Well, after all these years, I know you a little." Kōsaku said with a small smile on his face.

"Am I that predictable?" She asked and Kōsaku smiled.

"Well you weren't only the most beautiful, you were the best person out of all of us too, so when it comes to these kinds of things, yeah you are" He replied smiling as she blushed furiously at the compliments.

"So. What was the operation they called you in about?" She changed the topic. "What happened?"

Kōsaku sighed "A woman was shot in the head during a robbery."

Megumi gasped. "My god! And did she…" she began to ask.

"We managed to save her life for now" the neurosurgeon replied. "She is in a coma though and we don't know when she'll wake up if she does."

"Did they get the person responsible?" Megumi asked.

"Actually as I was coming here I was passing by a tv where they were giving the news and talking about the case. The man was killed in a shootout with the police." Kōsaku said, sighing. The robber was not a good man but not a single doctor was happy when he heard of a person's death. "So, when is Mihoko returning to Shohoku?" Kōsaku changed the topic.

"She came back today. She hasn't even worked out her contract details but once I told her that she could come back, she called Doctor Tachibana and asked if she could begin working again ASAP. I think she was beginning to worry about how much she was drinking lately. So was I to be honest, I arrived home to find her drunk too many times. Hopefully now she will take her mind off that damned cripple and move on with her life."

If Kōsaku was surprised by Megumi calling Ogata names, he didn't let it show on his face. The man had betrayed Megumi's best friend, it was understandable that the woman disliked him enough to insult him. "What about Keisuke? How was his first day at work?" He asked.

"I haven't seen him much, but I think it went well. He and Doctor Inoue operated and saved a patient we brought in and he met Doctor Tachibana during lunch. Doctor Tachibana told me that Doctor Inoue was pleased with the new addition to his department." Megumi said.

"I see" her boyfriend replied. "I'm glad, he called me yesterday. Even though he had met all of you and told me the lunch went well, he was nervous as a child on his first day of school. I was worried he would call me today to cry about how bad it had gone and that he was never going back." he added with a smirk.

"Don't be mean" Megumi said, despite not being able to suppress her own chuckle. Then Kōsaku looked away, at someone Megumi couldn't see, a nurse from what she could understand with her knowledge of the english language.

"They need me, I've gotta go" Kōsaku said, looking at the screen again. "Talk to you later. Have a good shift. Love you." Megumi smiled lovingly at him and nodded before he ended the call.

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Reply to Cupid17's comment: I'm glad you are liking the story and I hope you'll like where it's going. Sorry for not updating these past days.

Reply to xianiaHarMione's comment: Thank you for understanding. I'm sorry for making you wait.

Thank you for your comments!


	8. Chapter 8

Hey guys I'm sorry it took me this long to update again, it's just that I've been busy and I haven't been able to write much. I've got more free now and I hope I will be able to write more and update more frequently. Hope you enjoy!

Disclaimer: I still don't own Code Blue (but I'm working on it XD)

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Mihoko looked over her laptop's screen at Keisuke's children Sakura and Satoshi who were playing happily with their toys. She had to say that even if it was something that Megumi had gotten her into and even if she'd been reluctant to help at first, she liked taking care of the kids when their father was busy at work and no one else could do so. After all, while they weren't perfect, they were well-behaved enough to make looking after them an easy job and Mihoko had grown fond of both of them.

"Auntie Mihoko, can we watch a movie today before we go to sleep?" The little boy asked her, looking away from his toys

"I'm not sure. We might have to ask Aunt Megumi when she returns with dinner." The Doctor replied with a small smile. "We'll see."

"Ok. But if we do I want to see Totoro again!" He said.

"'Otoro!" the little girl shouted excitedly. Mihoko chuckled. Totoro was the movie Haruka had shown them one of the first nights their father had had a night shift. The children had loved it so much, with Satoshi singing the opening and ending of the movie all the time and little Sakura adding the main character's name to her limited vocabulary, that Keisuke had been forced to buy the movie for them.

"Like I said, let's talk about it when Aunt Megumi returns." She said.

"She's been gone for a long time" Satoshi replied looking a little depressed that their options of watching the movie depended on their aunt returning soon.

Mihoko didn't reply but only chuckled again. She knew that it was more than likely that her best friend was speaking with her boyfriend over the phone before returning home. "I'm home. Sorry for the delay but their oven didn't work too well so I had to go to another pizza place." Sounded her best friend's voice as she entered the apartment.

"And here I thought you had gone to Italy, or perhaps Canada, to get them" Mihoko replied.

"Would you help the children wash his hands before dinner?" Megumi asked, ignoring what her friend was implying, I'll prepare the plates, drinks and Sakura's dinner.

"Alright." She said before closing her laptop and rising from the couch.

"Auntie Megumi can we watch Totoro after dinner?" Satoshi asked.

"Totoro" Megumi said. "That Studio Ghibli movie again?" She asked Mihoko who nodded with a small smile. "I don't see why not. By the way, I talked with your father and he asked if you could stay the night."

"Yay!" Satoshi shouted as he ran towards the bathroom, making Mihoko follow him with Sakura in her arms and making Megumi chuckle before setting the table for dinner as well as preparing some food for Sakura.

"So did the usual pizzeria's oven really break down or did you walk to the pizzeria just so you could have more time to speak with Aizawa?" Mihoko asked when she returned with the children and they all sat around the table.

"For your information I did speak with Kōsaku but it wasn't a particularly long conversation since he had just arrived home from the hospital after a particularly long night shift and was more sleepy than usual." Megumi replied as she put a slice of pizza on her plate and another on Satoshi's and began trying to feed Sakura her food, the little girl seemed unhappy that she was the only one not to eat the same thing as the rest of them, but she ate obediently.

"I began looking for apartments today." Mihoko said changing the subject.

"Really?" Megumi asked her.

"Yes" she nodded. "But I haven't found any interesting ones yet."

"Don't worry, there's no rush for you to find one" Megumi smiled. "You can stay as long as you need."

"I know, I know, but since this time I'm staying in Shohoku for good I thought it would be good to get my own place, make it seem really permanent." Mihoko said.

"I see, well like I said, there's no rush" Megumi said with a smile. "I mean, if you left, you would just begin to tease Kōsaku and I about living together until one of us gave in and finally decided to propose it."

"You mean me teasing you, usually has such powerful consequences?" Mihoko chuckled. "Well, now that you mention it, if I tease you about something often enough, you end up doing things, like going to Toronto and confessing your feelings. You are welcome by the way."

"Yeah, yeah, thank you" Megumi rolled her eyes as she continued to feed Sakura and Mihoko turned her attention to Satoshi who, whenever they had pizza, tended to end up so dirty that he needed a bath.

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Keisuke walked through the halls of the hospital with a depressed expression on his face after he finished the double shift he had pulled at the hospital. He had lost a patient today. Her body had rejected the heart that she had received a few weeks prior and the treatment given had not been enough to save her life. It wasn't something he hadn't seen before, every surgeon knew about the dangers of organ transplant and he supposed he shouldn't have taken it so hard. But the patient had been young, a girl of only 12 years of age, who'd spent the whole night fighting for her life with her parents by her side, praying to whatever god or gods there were to allow their daughter to live.

Life wasn't fair, sometimes the cruelest people in the world got to live long and somewhat healthy lives while children who seemed to be very sweet and could potentially grow up to be the best of people died with their whole lives ahead of them.

"Dr. Aragaki" a voice snapped him out of his thoughts and made him turn around to see two of the younger Flight Doctors, Doctors Haitani and Yokomine approaching him. "We were heading towards the cafeteria to get a coffee. Do you want to join us?" Dr. Yokomine asked.

Keisuke forced a smile. Over the weeks he had been working at Shohoku he had developed closer personal relationships with the people at Lifesaving than with the people at his own department. Not that he had a bad relationship with any of the doctors or nurses at the Heart Surgery Department.

"I'm sorry, but it has been a long shift and I need to pick up my children from Doctors Shiraishi and Hiyama." He said

"Actually they just called us. They said they couldn't reach you and that they had already left the children at Daycare" Haitani replied. These words made Keisuke look at his watch, it was later in the morning than he had expected it to be, perhaps he had spent more time immersed in his thoughts than he'd thought when he was changing into his street clothes. Pulling out his phone he realized he had a couple of missed calls from Megumi and Mihoko which he hadn't heard.

"Even so, I'm very tired today and I'll need to get some strength back to deal with my kids after daycare is over, so we'll have coffee another time" he said before walking away from the two young doctors.

"He doesn't seem to be just tired" Dr Yokomine said as they watched him exit the hospital.

Doctor Haitani nodded "I suppose he must have had a bad shift."

Keisuke walked towards his car, a Toyota RAV4 from 2019 that he'd bought shortly after going back to Japan, got in it and drove away. He hoped that a few hours of rest would help him pick up his kids from school with his usual smile. Driving away from the hospital he noticed Megumi and Mihoko walking towards it, but since didn't want to stop the car to talk he merely faked a smile and saluted them with one hand, which only Megumi returned since Mihoko didn't seem to notice who was driving the car that just passed them by.

Arriving home Keisuke entered autopilot and walked from the parking lot of the apartment complex where he lived to his apartment's door without being fully aware of his surroundings driven by the desire to forget the events of the night temporarily at least. However, when he entered his place he couldn't help but notice a pair of woman's shoes, the kind usually worn by women in their fifties or sixties, women like…

"Hello Keisuke" an all too familiar voice pulled him back to reality completely.

"Mom?" he asked incredulously as he looked at the 64 year old woman in front of him, his mother Tomoko Aragaki. "What are you doing here?"

"Well, as I told you on repeated occasions it was my intention, I came for a visit" Tomoko replied a little annoyed at her son's question. "I arrived this morning, but I couldn't find either you or the kids."

"Well I had to work last night so I left them with some work friends… Never mind that! I remember you agreed to let me get settled in before you visit. How did you get in?" He asked her.

"Well, the landlord of course, he is a very lovely man, invited me for tea at a nearby cafe, we just got back about 10 minutes ago" she explained. Keisuke's incredulous expression deepened. There were many ways to refer to his landlord, for example "Grumpy", Keisuke didn't think he had seen him smile once since he arrived, it seemed that, the night he'd moved in, he hadn't been angry at Keisuke because he was late or because of the extra work he'd had to do that day because of the move, it was just the way he always was, "Cheap", he didn't want to hire anybody to do cleaning or repairs around his building, "Hard-working", he did all those things himself with the help from one of his sons, were all good ways to describe him. But "Lovely" wasn´t a word Keisuke ever thought he would hear used to describe the man. "As for you settling in before my visit, I think five weeks is time enough, don't you?"

"So. How much are you planning on staying?" Keisuke finally asked as he took off his own shoes and moved towards his bedroom.

"Just a couple, Kyoko told me to stay as much as I needed to help you." Tomoko smiled.

"A couple of what?" Keisuke asked, terrified that the woman hadn't used a measure of time.

"You look tired, why don't you take a nap? I'll wake you up when it's time for lunch" his mother smiled in response and Keisuke knew he'd have to live with the question on his head for a while.

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Keisuke wasn't too hungry when he woke up for lunch, but he made an effort to eat everything his mother had prepared. He hadn't been able to sleep at all when he'd gone to bed. Not because Tomoko had appeared at his house with the clear intention of staying until she deemed he no longer needed her help, but the memory of his death patient's family.

"Keisuke!" his mother's voice brought him back to reality once again.

"Yes?" He asked.

"What's wrong with you? You've been very absent minded throughout lunch and haven't paid attention to any of the things I've said. You've only responded with nods, sounds and one syllable words" Tomoko said as he looked at him worriedly.

"I'm sorry. It's... Look mom it's just been a bad night at work tonight. I lost a patient." He replied.

"I see" she nodded, her expression turning somber. "How young?" She then asked after a few seconds of silence.

"What?" Keisuke threw his mother a surprised look. "I've not said anything about her age. Why do you assume she is young?"

"Because I've seen you after you lost a patient before. You were nowhere near this devastated. You were sad, but not like this." His mother reminded him. "Knowing that I just made a guess about which of the worst possible cases was it."

Keisuke let out a sad chuckle when he heard the explanation. "She was 12 years old, her body rejected her new heart" he said. "Her parents remained by her bedside praying for their daughter's life. We tried everything we could as well, but nothing worked. She died in the early morning."

"I see" his mother said not knowing very well what to say for a few moments. She wasn't a doctor, she couldn't come up with some words to get his son not to be as depressed. "When are we supposed to pick up Sakura and Satoshi?"

"We still have some time, a couple of hours" he said looking at his watch. "I will try to sleep a little before we go."

"Actually I was going to suggest you take a walk" his mother said. "You used to do so when you were young and you were depressed, or simply bothered, about something. You always came back better after that."

Keisuke thought about it, he doubted a walk could help him, none of the troubles he'd faced when he was young could compare to losing a young patient, but he supposed it was better than futilely trying to sleep. He nodded. "Alright, I'll send you the address of the daycare so you can go when it's time to pick the kids. I'll try to be there too but, just in case, I'll call them to let them know you are picking them today."

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Reply to xianiaHarMione's comment: Thank you for your comment, although I must apologize again for not updating in so long.


	9. Chapter 9

Here is the new chapter! I know it's not the update speed the story had when during the first few chapters but I'll try not to take any more one-year hiatuses.

One announcement: I'm planning on making some other J-Dramas (Doramas) and J-Movies part of this fanfic's universe. Will you be ok with that? Leave your opinion in the comments.

Disclaimer: I don't own Code Blue.

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Keisuke walked around for more than an hour before stopping to really take in where he was, he was around Megumi and Mihoko's apartment, when his phone's ringing brought him back to reality. It was Doctor Inoue and this made Keisuke sigh. The man had not gone to the hospital in the morning that day, so Keisuke supposed he had just arrived at the hospital and learned about the death of the patient.

"Yes, Aragaki here" he said when he accepted the call.

"Dr. Aragaki, the Kurono Couple has left something for you at the office before leaving the hospital this morning, a letter. Normally I wouldn't bother you about it but the people at our department are spending more time looking at the envelope, curious about the contents of the letter than working. Would you mind coming to get it?" Keisuke thought for a second. He had last seen the Kuronos, the parents of Yui Kurono, the girl who'd died that morning when he'd told them their daughter was gone and there was nothing he could do about it. They hadn't been especially hostile towards him, they had been so devastated and probably tired that they'd only had the strength to cry. Was this a letter cursing him for letting their little girl die? Telling him they'd see him in court? Or was it something else?. "Doctor?"

"I…" Keisuke began to reply, a little unsure about what to say. "I will pick it up now sir. I can be at the hospital in 15 minutes."

"Good" Inoue said. "I'll see you soon."

"See you soon then sir" Keisuke replied before ending the call and calling his mother's phone.

"Keisuke" her voice greeted him.

"Mom, I need to go to the hospital for a while so you will have to pick the children up alone" he informed her.

"I see, will you be gone a long time?" Tomoko asked.

"I'm not sure" he replied. "I'll call you when I know" he added as he spotted a taxi and raised his arm to stop it."

"Alright" his mother replied. "I had hoped you'd be here the first time I see the kids in person, I mean I only saw Satoshi when he was a newborn and I haven't met Sakura yet." She added, feeling a little worried.

"You've talked to Satoshi over the phone a good number of times, he knows your voice. Sakura won't know who you are yet but she is usually a very well-behaved baby and she won't give you any trouble." Keisuke replied as he got into the taxi, he knew his mom hadn't told him about her worries earlier because she was afraid he wouldn't leave then. "Call me when you've picked them up. Love you." He added before ending the call and giving the cab driver the name of the place where he wanted to go.

Keisuke arrived at the heart surgery department of the hospital in the time he had told Dr Inoue he would and knocked on his office's door. After receiving the go ahead from the man, he entered the office and the man greeted him with a smile. "I'm sorry for calling you when you probably really needed the free time but I I had to take the envelope off your desk, our department members were behaving like curious school children. I must confess I'm curious about the contents of the letter myself, so I thought it would be better if you picked it up."

"Don't worry sir" Keisuke said with a small smile that didn't reach his eyes. "I'm very sorry to have caused you trouble and…"

"Don't say it" Dr. Inoue interrupted him in a somewhat stern tone of voice. "No one here can blame you for what happened to the child. You did everything you could to keep her alive and everyone here will testify for you if necessary." He added, handing him the envelope."

"Thank you sir" Keisuke said

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There was no one from his department or from Lifesaving when Keisuke entered the cafeteria with the envelope in his hand. He had decided to read whatever it was the parents of the child wanted to tell him before going home. Whether this would help him move over from his patient's death quicker or would make him more depressed he didn't know, but if it was going to be the latter, he wanted some time to at least pretend he was alright before going back to his family.

Buying a cup of coffee he sat at one of the tables that were empty and opened the envelope. The letter wasn't particularly long but it was longer than he would have expected someone in the state of mind of parents who had just lost, or were losing, their child to write. Pushing that thought aside he began to read its contents.

"Dear Dr. Aragaki.

If you are reading this, it's because my husband and I are certainly completely devastated because of our daughter's death and the thought of telling you this hasn't even crossed our minds, but there is something we have to tell you:

Thank you doctor for everything you've done to try to save our daughter until there was nothing else you could do. Thank you for always greeting us with a smile and not letting Yui stay depressed, for taking the time to speak to her whenever you checked on her, for trying to comfort us even when you knew the end was near.

I truly think that our daughter was able to last as long as she did at the hospital because you were her attending doctor and that at the end she was fighting not to see, not only my husband and me but also you, sad.

I also want you to know that neither my husband or I blame you or the people at the hospital for Yui's death and I beg you to continue to do your best for your patients, saving everyone you can. I know this is what Yui wants as well.

Always grateful.

Madoka Kurono."

Keisuke re-read the letter several times as he drank his coffee. There was none of the anger or the accusation he'd expected to find. It was a letter to help him cope with the fact that he'd failed in saving their little girl's life. They were consoling him. This made him feel even worse about having lost his patient, but it also made him overcome his sadness. Him being sad may have made Yui fight extra-hard for her life but he didn't have any need for it anymore. His patients needed him to be ok, so that he could give his 120% when helping them. That was why Yui and her parents wanted him to do.

Just at that moment his cell phone rang again. "Aragaki here" he spoke.

"Doctor have you left the hospital?" It was Nurse Makimura from his department.

"No, I'm at the cafeteria. What 's wrong?" He replied.

"Dr. Inoue has been asked to help with a patient the EMS people are bringing, a pregnant lady. Her heart has been injured due to an accident. Dr. Inoue needs a surgeon to assist but all the others are busy with their own patients and he is asking if you would assist him."

"I'm on my way" Keisuke replied before rising from his chair and sprinting out of the cafeteria.

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"We managed to save both of them" Mihoko told the worried husband of the pregnant woman they had operated on. "We performed a cesarean to save your daughters and the heart surgeons then repaired the damage to your wife's heart."

"Was her heart badly injured? will she…" The husband began to ask.

"We will have to keep her under observation but the operation went well" Keisuke replied, he was the only heart surgeon present since when they were about to close the woman up after repairing the woman's heart Doctor Inoue had been called, one of his patient's state had worsened and he would have to be operated as well. "But we can expect a full recovery" he smiled.

"Thank you Doctor." The husband cried.

"You are welcome" Keisuke smiled.

"Can I go see my children?" The man then asked. He had briefly seen them when the nurses had taken them out of the operation room but he'd been too worried about his wife to really look at them.

"Of course" Mihoko said looking at one of the nurses, who nodded and took the man away. "Good work" Keisuke said when the man left.

"Thanks, you too" she replied as they began to walk. "I was surprised when you entered the operation room with Doctor Inoue, I thought today was your free day."

"I had but I'd come to the hospital to pick up something and Doctor Inoue asked for my help." He replied. "I lost a patient this morning, a young girl, and her parents had written me a letter. I came to pick that up." He then explained when he saw that Mihoko was about to ask him what he was picking up.

"I see" Mihoko said. "What are you going to do now?" She asked, changing the topic. She knew he probably wouldn't like to talk about the letter so she wouldn't press him about it.

"I think I'll wait in the hospital a while to see if the woman wakes from the anaesthesia and then I'll go grab something to eat." he replied.

"What about the kids?" Mihoko asked.

"They are with my mom, she arrived this morning" Keisuke sighed. "I'm not sure when she'll leave though." He thought to himself, sighing inwardly.

"I see" Mihoko said. "It's great that your mom has come to help you out a bit."

"Well, it is great. But I'm afraid of her definition of "Helping out a bit", when she did it with my sister Kyoko, she didn't stop helping well into her new marriage. Within one month of her arrival she'd forced her to go to three "Omiais", said her children couldn't stay without a father for long."

"That is a bit too much" Mihoko chuckled.

"It certainly is." Keisuke agreed "She didn't have bad intentions though, she was forced to raise me and my sisters on her own and knows how hard it is. She doesn't want any of us to know of the hardships of single parenting for too long."

Mihoko nodded. "I need to go now but Megumi has to stay the night at the hospital today, so, if you want, give me a call when you are about to leave I'll grab a bite with you."

"Mihoko Hiyama, are you inviting me to dinner after hearing I might be having "Omiais" from now on?" Keisuke smirked.

"Of course" Mihoko laughed. "I know how popular single parents are with women nowadays, I don't want to miss my chance."

"Very well then, it's a date." Keisuke said before walking away.

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"I gotta say, I expected something different for our first date than a ramen street food stall, but this ramen is delicious" Mihoko said.

"Depending on how well this date goes, I might take you to a french restaurant for the second." Keisuke joked.

"Ah, baiting the woman with a more appealing date next time" Mihoko laughed. "Does that work often?"

"I'm not sure, it's the first time I've used this tactic, so we'll have to wait and see" Keisuke laughed as well.

"So, do you think your mom will make you have an Omiai soon?" She asked.

Keisuke sighed. "As soon as she finds a suitable candidate, I wouldn't be surprised if she had called some of her acquaintance and a couple of matchmaking agencies before arriving."

"She works fast" Mihoko said.

"You've got no idea, around three months after my divorce, she organized some kind of video-omiai" Keisuke told her. "A single mother of twins, nurse who had worked abroad with several NGOs, friends with my sister. A lovely woman."

"Sounds like it" Mihoko admitted. "Why didn't it work?"

"Well, it turns out she had used this Omiai to pressure her lover into a committed relationship, they got engaged a couple of weeks after it happened." Keisuke laughed again. "I did get a playdate promise for Satoshi out of it though, scheduled for whenever I go to Sendai, her children are his same age after all."

Mihoko smiled. "Well that's good then." She looked at the stall's owner. "Master, another two glasses of beer."

"Coming right up" the man replied, pulling a bottle of beer from under the counter and serving both of them.

When he was serving Keisuke, the surgeon took a good look at the man for the first time that night. Before, Keisuke had not been able to do so since the man had been quite busy with other clients and he had been more concentrated on his conversation with Mihoko, but now that he was able to do so, the heart surgeon couldn't help but feel he knew the stall's owner from somewhere. "You look really familiar. Have you always worked in this town?" He asked.

"No, I moved here around five years ago, before I used to work in my brother's stall in Tokyo." The man replied.

"Near Sakurai hospital?" Keisuke then asked.

"Yes" the man smiled. "Doctor Sakurai invited his doctors pretty often to eat there. Were you one of them?"

"No, but my cousin was. He usually brought me to your brother's stall when we met up for lunch or dinner." Keisuke answered and the man nodded before moving away when another client called him.

"Your cousin is also a doctor?" Mihoko asked curiously.

"Yeah, he is also a surgeon" Keisuke replied. "One of the best there is, in my opinion."

"What's his name?" Mihoko questioned again.

"Doctor Asada, Ryūtaro Asada" Keisuke answered.

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Reply to icejanesintos' comment: Thank you for waiting! I will.

Please remember to tell me your opinion about making other Doramas and J-Movies part of this universe.


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